As flowers fade in the garden and there's little to pick to bring inside, it's the winter-flowering indoor bulbs that help to keep us cheerful. It's a lovely thing, walking into a room with a pot of paperwhite narcissi or a large, shallow tray of hyacinths creating a dome of scent all around them, but it is amaryllis that really steal the winter house plant show. Even in the garden, there's no bulb with individual flowers on this scale; inside, they look all the more impressive.

If you buy specially treated bulbs, amaryllis (more correctly known, in botanical terms, as Hippeastrum) can be forced to flower at Christmas. They take around 10 weeks from planting to flowering, so there won't be time to get some ready for this year, but you could plant some bulbs in a pretty pot to give as a gift for flowering early in the new year. And there's plenty of time to buy bulbs to plant before the end of December, which will go on to flower naturally from March to May.

Amaryllis like a rich, exceptionally well-drained soil, so create a mix from one part well-rotted manure, one part horticultural grit or sand and two parts leaf mould. In the wild (many amaryllis grow in Brazil), they root quite superficially, with their huge bulb two-thirds in, one-third out of the soil – this allows heavy rain to flow away from the crown of the bulb, lessening the likelihood of rot. And you should plant them like this in a pot here, too – and plant them firmly, really cramming the soil around the bulb to hold them in their elevated position; they like to feel confined. Put them in a pot 5-6cm wider than the diameter of the bulb, with plenty of crocks in the bottom for extra drainage.

Amaryllis look magnificent as a table centre, with one plant or, even better, three growing in a large pot or salad bowl: lots of twigs of silver birch or hazel poked in around them will help keep them upright and add to the loveliness of the arrangement before the petals have unfurled. Whether planted singly or in a group, keep the potting medium moist, but not wet. Water from the top using tepid tap water; once that has drained into the saucer, tip it away. Don't over-water and keep in a bright, warm, sunny place, at about 20C and free from the draughts of an open window. A shelf above a radiator is ideal.

After the plant begins to grow, feeding is essential. You can add a complete slow-release fertiliser to the potting medium, or use a liquid fertiliser twice a month. Once your amaryllis is flowering, continue watering, keep it slightly cooler (10-15C) and out of direct sunlight, but as light as possible to promote a longer flower life. As each one fades, cut it off at the top of the stalk, and when the whole stalk is over and starting to sag, carefully cut it off just above the bulb nose.

Making amaryllis flower arrangement. Cutting canes to length to use for support. Photograph: Jonathan Buckley

You can also harvest amaryllis as cut flowers for a beautiful display: if you condition them properly, the blooms will last two to three weeks. To get the best out of them, cut the stems in tight bud when the petals are protected from bruising. To maximise their vase life, insert a cane inside each hollow stem. Without this, the stem ages before the flower and quickly collapses. It's also worth twisting an elastic band around the end of the stem to prevent the cut surface splitting and curling up like pigs' tails.

When all the flowers fade, don't chuck the bulb away, but keep it for another even bigger display of flowers next year. Amaryllis bulbs are tender, so need to be grown inside – frost-free – when it's cold, but once the frosts are over and the nights are no longer chilly, they can be moved outside until the end of summer. Think of them as a tender garden – not a house – plant, and treat them much as you would a precious pot of freesia or non-hardy agapanthus.

Top five amaryllis

The first two varieties give lots of flowers on one stem, as well as a good succession of stems, so they flower for many weeks. The other three are closer to the species and more refined. Their delicate flowers go over more quickly, so keep them cooler and lightly shaded while in flower.

'Red Pearl' An incredible, luscious deep-red, far nicer than the pillar-box red varieties, such as 'Red Lion', which are more widely available.

'Mont Blanc' Huge, ivory-white flowers with a lovely green throat – they tower above all others. The best white of all I've grown.

'Emerald' Stylish, sharp and interesting, with a deep red outline to every petal and delicate, red striping over the greenish-white petals.

'Giraffe' Smaller flowers than many of the high-street hybrids, with lovely green and red stripes.

'Chico' Tropical-looking and exotic, I also love this amaryllis with its green and deep red spidery flowers that resemble orchids.

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